André du Pon (30 August 1924, in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
– 24 May 2006, in
Medemblik
Medemblik () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia. It lies immediately south of the polder and former municipality of Wieringermeer.
History
Medemblik was a prosperous ...
) was a
sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
from the Netherlands] who was three times chef d'équipe for the Dutch Olympic Sailing team. Du Pon led his teams during the
Sailing at the 1976 Summer Olympics, 1976 Olympics in
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...
, the
1984 Olympics in
Long Beach
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
and the
1988 Olympics in
Pusan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...
.
After sailing the
Finn Du Pon was also one of the first
Soling sailors of the Netherlands. He owned the Soling H 4.
Controversy
During the selection for the
Dutch Olympic Sailing Team
The Dutch were in most of the Olympic sailing competitions represented by the Dutch Olympic Sailing Team. The selection of the members of the team was done by the Koninklijk Nederlands Watersport Verbond (KNWV) or its predecessor. With the except ...
for the
Sailing at the 1976 Summer Olympics, 1976 Olympics a controversy emerged between twelve sailors and the
selection committee chaired by
Du Pon. This discussion focussed on the role of
Frieda Vollebergt
'' Frida'' is a 2002 film about artist Frida Kahlo
Frida, Frieda, or Freida may also refer to:
People
*Frida (given name), a feminine given name
*Frieda (surname)
* Frieda (''Peanuts''), a character from the comic strip ''Peanuts''
*Afroditi Fr ...
who did the communication for the sailing team. As mother of
Erik Vollebregt,
Sjoerd Vollebregt
Sjoerd Steven Vollebregt (born 10 December 1954, in Leiden) is a sailor from the Netherlands who represented his native country at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Kingston, Ontario. With twin brother Erik Vollebregt as helmsman, Vollebregt finished ...
and
Peter Vollebregt - all three candidates for the 1976 Olympic sailing event - she was accused of having a
bias
Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group, ...
towards her children in the communication. In the end
Fred Imhoff
Ferdinand "Fred" Helmuth Imhoff (born 15 February 1942 in The Hague) is a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented his country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Kiel, Germany as helmsman in the Flying Dutchman ''Brave Henderik IV'' (H-230). Wit ...
and
Heike Blok Heike may refer to:
* Heike (given name), a (not exclusively) feminine given name, derived from the male name Anri (Henry)
* Taira clan, sometimes referred to as "Heike"
* Heike crab, a species of crab named after the Taira (Heike) clan
* Heike On ...
lost the
lawsuit
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
and were removed from the 1976 selection.
Political career
Du Pon was in the period 1990 - 1998 and from 2002 - 2006
alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
for the liberal party
VVD
The People's Party for Freedom and Democracy ( nl, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie ; VVD) is a conservative-liberal Andeweg, R. and G. Irwin ''Politics and Governance in the Netherlands'', Basingstoke (Palgrave) p.49 political party in ...
in Medemblik. During those periods he held several times the position of
deputy mayor
The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments.
Duties and functions
Many elected dep ...
.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pon, Andre du
1924 births
2006 deaths
Sportspeople from Amsterdam
Dutch male sailors (sport)
Soling class sailors
Dutch referees and umpires